With A $1.2 Billion Sale To Unilever, Grüns’ Founder Mints A Fortune

Chad Janus, founder of Grunz, has sold his company to Unilever for an estimated $1.2 billion, minting a significant fortune. Janus, 33, conceived the idea for gummy bear-shaped nutritional supplements four years ago, overcoming initial skepticism from manufacturers and retailers. His brand, Grunz, which means "greens" in German, now ships approximately 10 million gummies daily. This acquisition marks one of the quickest and most successful exits in the consumer packaged goods sector over the past decade. Grunz, based in Beaverton, Oregon, serves about 1 million customers, with its superfood gummy bear being the top-selling green supplement on Amazon and nationwide. Janus stated that while they didn't build the company solely to sell it, they aimed to impact millions of lives, believing Unilever's track record with successful brands would further their mission. Forbes estimates Unilever is paying an implied multiple of four times Grunz's estimated trailing revenue, one of the highest deal multiples in the CPG sector in the last year. Janus is estimated to have retained about 50% ownership after raising $45 million from outside investors, valuing his stake at potentially $450 million after taxes. Unilever, with nearly $60 billion in 2025 revenue, is increasing its focus on wellness and personal care. The exact terms of the Grunz deal were not disclosed, but Grunz had an annualized run rate of over $300 million by October 2025. This exit occurred less than three years after Janus began selling his supplements, a rarity in an industry where most exits happen after 11 years. Janus, who grew up in Dallas and holds a finance degree, previously worked as an investor at Summit Partners. He left Summit in 2022 to attend Stanford Business School, where he developed the idea for Grunz after disliking the taste of a morning supplement powder. Discovering that 90% of Americans have mineral deficiencies, he developed his first nutritional gummies. He spent a year at Stanford perfecting the recipe and preparing the business, raising around $400,000 from classmates. By the time he received his MBA in 2024, Grunz had achieved $50 million in revenue.